Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1887-08-04
AFTER JOHANN MOST.
The Red Mouthed Anarchist
Charged with Inciting In
cendiary Fires.
The New York Underwriters Are
Much Alarmed Over the
Situation.
lNew York speciaI.l


The Tribune says: "At the Office of q
firm of well-known insurance brokers, yes
terday, it was said that the past six months
had been the most disastrous in the fire
record of any like period, save, Of course,
in that embracing the Chicago and Boston
fires. So far as had been learned, only
two companies had made any money in
that six months. The matter has been dis
cussed in every Office and every association
of Underwriters.
There is one striking phase of this mat
ter which has come to tho fore prominent
ly in a few days, and that is the relation OF
Herr MOST ana MS sympatniZers 10 many
of those fires. AS indicative of the extent
to which insurance companies are being
aroused TO this question, it is only neces-
sa'y to call attention to special meeting
of the New York Board of Underwriters
held Yesterday, to discuss this very subject
and adopt ways and means to meet the
emergency. Herr Most's book bearing
on the subject of dynamite and phos-
phorus as incendiary agents was considered
ut length, especially his claim that many
recent fires were due to their use. Copies
of newspapers, the book itself, ana all
available information upon the point were
n week before handed over 10 the Commit
tee on Police and the Origin of Fires, with
instructions 10 make q thorough investiga-
tion of the matter, and report upon some
plan which would check, if possible, the
great increase in the number of fires which
were undoubtedly incendiary. On this
point member of the board said yester-
day:
aJohn Most has become factor in the
subject of fire insurance. Our civilization
has come to pretty pass when such n red
| nttaf0nCeA
have to be considered by fire insurance
Inelr pabeIuI eIfsoUs. rnss3rrui rs,2..S-.aAs4s
! of reaching this man, and what the law
can do will soon be tried. He openly
boasts in his book that recent fires are,
some of them at least, due to anarchists.
Whether true or not, his utterances have
their effect"
On the subject of averting disastrous
losses in fire insurance, remedies have been
considered by fire underwriters from time
10 time. Yesterday all phases of the mat.
ter were taken up. One measure proposed
is that every person insured shall, III the
case of q run in such extraordinary, and
for the companies exhausting losses, share
in n portion of his own loss. Another sug-
pestion was that known as the French sys-
tenn, in which every insured person must
pay for injury done TO contiguous prop
erty when the fire starts on his own prem
ises.
This city and vicinity have been the
great sufferers in the recent unprecedented
losses. Said Mr.. Kennedy yesterday: New
York has been the worst sufferer IN the
last six months, although Chicago, Mil
waukce, and other cities have done thei'
best to keep up an undesirable rivalry
Just this morning we learn of another Chi
cago fire; loss, $500, O,OOO."
One feature in insurance business which
has been brought TO light in the recen
losses is what are termed Jumbo" lines
and the matter is commented on with sur.
prise in insurance circles. By this 1t II
meant that several companies which haC
hitherto incurred risk of a small percent
age have been insuring much larger pc
cent, and thus running into the Jumbo
lines. Among those companies are said t.
be some well-known companies of this city
Brooklyn, and Chicago.
On the whole situation an insurance agen
said yesterday: 'If this thing keeps up w
are going to stop; that's all. 1t is some
thing like the hot weather-we must have
let-up or perish"